I am happy to share with you a new short documentary about the StoreFront, objects of desire project at the Lansdowne Centre in Richmond BC by Michael Sider . This video captures the performance and audience engagement parts of the project as they occurred in the mall; intersecting consumer culture and artistic interventions with gentle prodding and good humour. And of course the kids are so darned cute! Special thanks to Elisa Yon of the Richmond Public Art Program for supporting the creation of this video. Performers include, Nita Bowerman, Billy Marchenskie and myself. enjoy.

Madame Nicole aka Nicole Dextras gave free makeovers to shoppers as part of the StoreFront, objects of desire project at the Lansdowne Centre. Madame N was dressed in a white lad coat to emaulate the clean fresh authority of science of cosmetics and to mimic the free makeovers offered in shopping areas, which serve as a guise for selling products. Instead of makeup i applied flowers and leaves to embrace beauty plus the service was free with no strings attached. The intervention was staged in the middle of the atrium beside a white vanity with an ornate frame with no mirror. The participants ranged in age and cultural background, from shoppers to cleaning staff and it enabled intimate conversations and broke the new modern taboo of touching. This work is based on the concept that adorning the body is a healthy and natural thing to do. Working with plant material allowed me to pay tribute to the many cultures past and present that practice the art of body adornment with botanicals. I hope continue to explore the modern implications of beauty and adornment in future works.

Silvia and Luane get the last makeover of the day and pose in front of the vanity

Madame Nicole sets up her free MakeOver station in the centre of the mall’s atrium

Unlike the cosmetics counter mine was filled with flowers and pruners.

Even Mall staff got into the action. I was so happy to brighten up her day.

Rose petal and leaf sleeve edging

Collar MakeOver with leaves and ferns

A natural beauty.

Did a whole family! Had to position the flowers so they would not interfere with their bike helmets as they were later going to the Lantern Festival.

Once she say her mum get a MakeOver she wanted one too.

A collar of red Heliconia flowers is a sure way to spruce up any black outfit.

Sir William the Explorer is a new character that i have developed for the StoreFront, objects of desire project at the Lansdowne Centre. Sir William, played by actor/dancer Billy Marchenski appeared on July 14 looking to trade magic beans for gold. He asked people where he could find large trees to rebuild the mast of his ship as he has heard of the giant Douglas Fir trees on the West Coast that are big enough to make a large mast for a ship. His coat is made from Magnolia leaves and the braided trim is a Mongolian rope made from goat and horse hair. Front collar is made from Calla lilies and corn husk.

The jacket is made from Magnolia leaves attached to a framework of Seagrass decorated with a braid of Mongolian horse and goat rope, yellow Billy Button flowers, white Calla Lilies, Corn Husks and natural mesh. His hair is made from Sisal attached to a straw hat. The boot chaps are from the sleeves of an old leather jacket.

Sir William is woken from his centuries old sleep to find himself on display in the StoreFront, objects of desire window at Lansdowne Centre.

Escaping the confines of the retail experience he sets out to find a new mast for his ship and gold to bring back to his Queen.

Peering through his trusted telescope he spies the riches of this new world.

Magical beans are time honoured currency for the colonial subject.

A fair exchange is made, one magical bean for one magical blue transportation devise.

Investigating the many new medicines from the apothecary. Did he land in Asia by mistake instead of the western shores of the New World?

Fascinated by the maps on offer for his future travels. Unfortunately he does not find the root to his homeland marked on any of these but Palm Springs sounds intreging

Sir William discovers the Future and loves the wheeled basket

Sir William ventures outdoors to find the large trees he has heard about.

He does not find the large Douglas Firs that once covered this land and he realizes that they were all cut down hundreds of years ago.

He explains how big a tree would have to be at the base for it to be tall enough to make a mast for a ship.

Hopeful of having happened upon the site for buried treasure, he steps onto the X on this asphalt map.

2 Douglas Firs left standing as the new city of Vancouver encroaches. Man in the middle points to the scale of these massive trees.

The Mobile Garden Dress, part of the Urban Foragers seriesmade 2 appearances during my StoreFront, objects of desire installation at the Lansdowne Centre in Richmond. The dress was animated by Nita Bowerman, who invited people to water the edibles in her skirt, talk gardening and then make a salad. If the shopping centre is the new community church then camping in a dress covered in edible plants is a great way to bring people together and bring some genuine connection to the retail experience.

Madame Jardin comes to life inside the StoreFront window display.

Big and small help water the dress’ garden.

Engaging with shoppers about gardening and food production.

Sweet cherry tomatoes; Comparing the store bought version to the organic plant.

Once out of her skirt, Madame Jardin unhooks her bamboo bowl to begin preparing her lunch.

StoreFront, objects of desire was an installation at the Lansdowne Shopping Center in Richmond BC that blurred the line between consumer culture and art by displaying ephemeral objects in a retail window setting. Here dresses made from live flowers and shoes made of leaves are presented on mannequins as if for sale. By presenting simulated fashion articles within an existent shopping experience the viewer was confronted with having to negotiate the space between desire and ownership. I was on site at the mall periodically preening and adding new elements to the window displays. There were also public interventions in the shopping centre on weekends: The Mobile Garden Dress made a salad and shared it with the public, Sir William the Explorer went looking for gold and timber in the mall and Madame Nicole came out of her nearly 30 year retirement to do Extra D’Extras MakeOvers with shoppers.